Hull hardcore duo Parasitic Twins are set to hit the road later this month with the monstrous Boycott The Baptist! The band, who released their visceral debut EP, “All That’s Left To Do Now Is Sleep With Each Other”, on October 26th, are set to appear in Germany and Holland with BTB! Remaining dates see support from Clunge Destroyer. Full dates for the tour below:

December 8th – The Westgarth Social Club – Middlesbrough (w/ Clunge Destroyer)

Ripping a page from the Killing Joke school of lo-fi noise, then setting it on fire via the way of Today Is The Day and Godflesh, Hull’s scariest kids, Parasitic Twins are riding high following the release of their debut EP. Recorded live and raw, at Melrose Yard Studios in York, the hardcore duo, made up by guitarist/vocalist Max Watt (Rotting Monarchs) and drummer Dom Smith (Mary and The Ram), have performed together previously as part of Seep Away was born of a desire to create the most abrasive sound they could.

Discussing their debut single, “Massive”, Watt had this to say: “It’s about that mental sense of abandon that comes once in a while and turns our lives into ash. Temporarily, of course. Everyone’s been in that place where long term plans and prospects just become irrelevant and all you can focus on is immediate day to day shit, and one day you wake up and think “Goddamn, what was all that noise about?” At the time it’s huge but with time just becomes a notch in your past, then you gotta make the reparations, and push all that negative shit to the back.”

Hammered into the raw aggression like a nail into splintered wood is a youthful rage desperate to be heard. Taking comfortable influence from the late 90s sludge scene, the track “Flipswitch” borrows from the Raging Speedhorn school of duel vocal ferocity while “End” wraps a chain around the Biohazard-esque bouncy hardcore and throws it on the heap. Making “ATLTDNISWEO” a white-hot blast of crusty oblivion, perfect for fans of low end, aggro-punk. Listen to at wielding volume.

Following their storming performance at Desertfest, a run of European shows with L7, plus a one-off appearance with stoner rock legends Sleep, Black Moth show no signs of stopping in 2018 as they share a new video for ‘Pig Man’ ahead of their UK tour with Corrosion of Conformity, Orange Goblin and Fireball Ministry.

Directed by Ged Murphy/Rob Hoey and filmed by Louis Caulfield, vocalist Harriet Hyde comments on the meaning behind the track:-

‘In my endless fascination with human sexuality, I came across a brilliant book called Perv by Jesse Bering which celebrates how we’re all sexual deviants in our own unique and colourful ways. In reading it, however, one particular story stood out for its horror and absurdity…

‘Most people know of the atrocities committed towards women in 17th century New England in the Salem Witch Hunts. Deranged rumours circulated that they cut off men’s penises, bewitched them and kept them as pets! To this day, women are ‘slut-shamed’ and outcast for possessing their own innate power and sexuality.

‘A lesser known story is that of the ‘Pig Man’ hunts that obsessed the congregations of New Haven. The poor dears in their infinite repression managed to convince themselves that certain men were secretly in league with the Devil to impregnate barnyard animals. The offspring would be Satan’s children walking the earth, wreaking destruction in their orderly Christian society. It seems the arrival of a deformed pig foetus was enough to incriminate the farmhand for ‘buggery’ and lead to his brutal execution. In a sick, paranoid society, no-one is safe.’

This conversation happened. It didn’t quite happen as was originally planned, but shit happens and storms happen. Maidstone-based pop-rock quintet Weekend Recovery may have been late – way late, after storm Doris fucked all things traffic, meaning the journey to Leeds took an insane eight hours – to their own show on first night of their first headline tour, but they still made it on stage in fair time and finished on time, played like pros and rocked the house down in the process. All of which is to say, they may be a relatively new act, and they may be young in years, but they know how to conduct themselves, and demonstrate an admirable work ethic and commitment to what they do.

These are not easy times for being in a band, and the economics of the music industry in the twenty-first century mean that music-making can only be a sideline or hobby for most. But the way to make it is to treat music-making like a full-tie job: it takes 110% just to get off your arse and tour without label backing. Weekend Recovery – with a bit of crowdfunding assistance have taken the enormous leap from local band occasionally venturing further afield, to proper touring entity, in order to promote their new single ‘Don’t Try and Stop Me’.

AA: Before becoming Weekend Recovery in April last year, you and your fellow band-members were the Lauren Forster Band. Why the change?

LF: We changed it because I didn’t feel like being called Lorin Jane Forster Band. Credit to my band mates who work very bloody hard – also it’s really tricky to get higher up a bill when people think you’re an acoustic act.

So more about making clear you’re a proper band, rather than a solo artist with backing?

That’s exactly it.

Why Weekend Recovery?

Well, I personally wanted Ninja Pandas, but I got voted out, she explains. I can’t help but laugh. Ninja Pandas would have been ace. But perhaps not as easy to be taken seriously with. It actually comes from my guitarist Jordan’s favourite band The Darkness’ song ‘Friday Night’.

Ok, so I do find it difficult to digest the fact that The Darkness could be anyone’s favourite band – other than perhaps Justin Hawkins’ mum, but I let it ride. Because there’s a time for music snobbery and being a twat, and time to rein it in. Weekend Recovery don’t sound like The Darkness, or any other second-rate Queen tribute, or any other overblown pomp-rock.

You describe yourselves as pop rock. Pop is often a dirty word in rock circles, and pop-punk tends to be lame as, but Weekend Recovery have some serious nuts on the evidence of your first two singles. Musically, who inspires you – and why?

Personally, I love Paramore. I’m sure that’s obvious and Katy Perry is my hero! But I love Bikini Kill and Slaves as well, so a real mismatch.

In context, those seemingly incongruous juxtapositions work well, and yes, they do come through in the music. For my money, I’d take Weekend Recovery over Paramore (too obvious, and Hayley’s voice grates) or Katy Perry (too bubblegum and lacking in substance) any day. Here is a band with some substance, not to mention a singer with a decent voice. But I’m curious: how about the rest of the band, and to what extent do they contribute to the songwriting and development?

They love a variety of music – Artur likes funk; Jordan loves The Darkness; Sean, Aerosmith, and Matt metal and Little Mix. I write the songs, lyrics and melody, but the lads jazz ‘em up.

That’s one hell of a range, and no mistake. It shouldn’t work. I daren’t ask if she’s having me on about metal and Little Mix, but then, I have a hefty stack of albums by Sunn O))) and Godflesh in a collection which also houses records by A-Ha, Duran Duran, and even a Stefan Denis 12”. What would you say distinguishes you from other bands?

It’s hard to say, because there are sooooo many bands. She had a point. We’re at band overload, a point of saturation beyond saturation. I receive in the region of up to a hundred releases a week to check out, and in truth, half of my emails don’t even get opened. And so it comes down to bands putting themselves out there and pushing like hell. We work really very hard and not afraid to fail, she says. And perhaps that’s it, in a nutshell: fearlessness is the key.

Image: how important is it? I’m aware of the fact I’m asking this question of a woman who strolled nonchalantly into a tiny venue wearing a calf-length animal-print coat and then performed in a crop-top on a wild night in Leeds in February. It’s not that she radiated ego, but a sense of occasion and role.

I think it’s important that the crowd know who the band is and doesn’t just think it’s a random person off the street – if that makes sense.

It does: jeans and t-shirt bands just look like they don’t care and could be just anyone. Everyone’s anonymous: we need bands who look like bands, rather than guys who’ve wandered on stage after a shift in some IT department. So I push a bit further. Women in rock: there are many, and yet I still get the impression it’s not an easy ride. What’s your experience so far?

I rise to it, like I’ve had the looks and the ‘oh here we go’ but I’m more of a bloke than most of ‘em.

I can believe this. She may be smiley and affable, but it’s abundantly clear that Lorin has colossal balls, at least metaphorically. You’ve toured and played support to other bands – notably Hands Off Gretel – but this is your first proper headline tour: how does it feel?

Scary as hell! If it weren’t for Hands Off Gretel I probably never would have had the kick up the arse to think ‘hell this can be done on your own without help of agency or pluggers, etc.’ – but we love it, love meeting other bands and seeing the country and what every city’s music scene has to offer!

You get such a different atmosphere from playing live than a recording, the energy is something that you can’t expel to your fans from playing in a studio – I think anyway – it’s an experience you can only share to a live audience. Also, I love meeting people that like our music!

What’s in the pipeline for Weekend Recovery once you’re done with the tour?

Well, we’re supporting Skinny Girl Diet, which I’m super amped about, then it’s back in the studio I imagine, and then take over the world!

No two ways about it: Skinny Girl Diet is an ace support to bag. And I always say that ubiquity is the key to world domination.

It totally is! Yes, we’re supporting them at the Lady Luck on 30th March, which is funnily enough where we supported HOG.

It’s funny what goes around comes around, and perhaps this is fate. Weekend Recovery aren’t only a hard-grafting band, but a band who are intent on driving their own career path and making their own luck. Armed with a bunch of killer tunes and a go get ‘em attitude, if ever a band did deserve world domination, it’s Weekend Recovery.

It’s the hottest day of the year so far: the mercury’s teetering in the top twenties and I’ve had a hectic and predictably crap day at work. The train from York to Leeds is fucking rammed, and I almost melt as I make my way from the station to the little underground space that is Leeds’ primary dedicated rock venue, The Key Club. At least I can attribute my heavy perspiration to atmospherics rather than anxiety over interviewing full-throttle sludge metal masters Raging Speedhorn. The simple fact is, I don’t know what, or who, to expect.

In the event, tour manager Jim is as welcoming and affable guy as you’re likely to meet, and while I’m amazed just how busy it is backstage – it seems the entire world ants to interview Raging Speedhorn tonight, and the press are out in droves for video interviews and other kind of features – things are simultaneously organised but laid back. It’s not surprising it’s busy: the release of their first new album in nine years, which also sees Frank Regan return to the fold, has reignited interest in the band.

I’ve been booked in to chat with drummer Gordon Morison, and I’m reminded of the first interview I conducted with a ‘proper’ band, (the local bands I shot the breeze with for the local paper back in the 90s really don’t count) when I waited an age outside The Well in Leeds to interview Rolo Tomassi and was given some five minutes with drummer Edward Dutton. In the event, he was cool and eloquent, while I was shamefully anxious and anything but cool.

Settling into some big leather sofas at the back of the venue’s extended backstage area – really, the backstage area is bigger than the public space, but then, there’s a lot of kit in for these bands, and I expect that’s not uncommon – I immediately feel at ease: there’s no pretence or celebrity bullshit here. Nevertheless, I promise a quickfire Q&A, not least of all because I like to get in and out as efficiently as possible, and without outstaying my welcome. Besides, I have to transcribe the exchange afterwards, and wading through over half an hour of audio is a real chew. And so, with the thunderous drums of By Any Means soundchecking, we quickly get down to business:

AA: You’re back on tour: how have the shows gone down so far?

GM: Really good. It’s just been really nice to get back out and play some more shows. This is the longest we’ve been out, probably the longest tour since we’ve been back together, so it’s hard – we’re not used to it any more – but…

AA: Does it get harder as you get older?

GM: I think it does, but…

AA: Everything does?

GM: Yeah… I think the alcohol numbs the pain until the next morning, and then you’re feeling it again but yeah, it’s been really, really good.

AA: You’re playing some pretty small venues this time around, but you’ve also played some big festival sets since returning to the live arena. Do you enjoy the intensity of the more intimate shows, getting up close and personal with the fans?

GM: Yeah, we’d rather play the small venues, to be honest. But sometimes it’s not really up to us. We’ve got to work with our agent, and it’s got to be about the fees and stuff.

AA: Well, you’re not going to turn down a major festival show.

GM: No, I mean, the major festivals, we’ve been blown away by what we’ve done… headlined a stage at Sonisphere, headlined a stage at Download this year… So it’s moving in the right direction of where we want the band to go. We’re getting back to where we want the band to be now, and it’s better now, because we’re in charge of the whole situation. There’s no-one telling us we have to do this, or we have to do that. We decide as a group if we want to do it or not.

AA: Your new album, Lost Ritual, was crowd-funded through PledgeMusic and smashed the target. How does that feel?

GM: Awesome. Amazing. I mean, it was just a little idea, like ‘should we do a new record?’ and it just… It took a while to get to the target, and we were a bit nervy about it, but then as soon we get to the target, and then it went ‘Boom!’ and it went crazy. I think the crowdfunding this is the best way, especially for our band, because we’ve been signed to these big major labels and sometimes it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be.

AA: There’s no question that the Internet has revolutionised the music industry? A lot of people – a lot of them major artists and industry people – complain about it, but you’d say that for some people, like yourselves, it’s a change for the best?

GM: Yeah. I think that PledgeMusic is the best way for bands to do it. It’s quite stressful, and if you’ve got a manager it’s easier, but me and Jim manage the band, so we have to deal with day-to-day stuff. And it’s great, because you actually see the product from nothing to having it in your hand, and that’s amazing.

AA: And the end product is amazing. Lost Ritual is a belter, one seriously intense record. Historically, you’ve a reputation for songs about nihilism drugs of various kinds. What was the inspiration and driving force behind the new album?

GM: The only thing we really wanted to do was go back to our roots, like the sound of what made the band successful in the first place, the first two records. Especially ‘cause Frankie’s come back into the band.

AA: What was it like being back in the studio with the original twin vocal assault reinstated? Was it a powerful feeling?

GM: Yeah. To be fair, I love Kev, and he’s still one of my best friends now, but it was never Raging Speedhorn without Frankie being in the band. And I think he needed the break, and I think we needed the break, not from him, but other things were going on at that time. It’s just the best thing we’ve done. we all got in a room and practiced, and finally thought ‘this is gonna work’. So yeah, it’s great.

AA: You emerged from the Nu-Metal scene, but were never actually a Nu-Metal band. How do you think the metal scene, particularly in the UK, has changed since you first started out?

GM: It’s changed a lot, definitely. I think it’s changed… I don’t know if it’s changed for the better. I think it’s a lot better for the UK bands now because they seem to be getting out there a lot more than when we first started, it was all American bands coming over here.

AA: It also seems a lot more grass roots now, with bands emerging from local scenes with bands getting up and doing things for themselves.

GM: Exactly.

AA: So the drive has changed, with things moving from the bottom up. And I think in the current climate, people are angry, and metal is a response to that in a way.

GM: Certainly, especially with what’ going on. I think it’s going to turn out some fucking bangin’ bands. There’s amazing young bands coming out, not only in the metal scene, but in the rockier scene as well. I see it a lot because I work with bands, I tour manage bands. I have my own splitter van company [vanmorisontours]. So I see it first-hand, seeing bands going from no-one really giving a shit to being quite biggish bands, and it’s great. There’s a band called Milk Teeth now, they’re more grungy, and they’re fucking great. I work with them quite a bit, and it’s just so good to see these bands just doing it on their own.

AA: What do you think it is about Raging Speedhorn that sets you apart, and has been the main factor in your enduring appeal?

GM: I think it’s just because we’re completely different. I mean, there are bands around like us, but we’re just lucky we got through the mainstream and had that for a while, I think it’s just that in this scene, there’s no one-one really sounds like us. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a band that sounds like us.

AA: And perhaps the ferocity gives you the edge?

GM: Yeah, I think it’s the attitude. I just don’t think people get what we’re all about, and I don’t think we know what we’re all about. We’re just a bunch of six guys out to have a fucking good time. But then, I read an interview the other day that said we’ve got a ‘yobbish’ attitude, and it made me laugh because I’d never thought of it in that way. Basically they said that we were like six chavs playing metal. I suppose it could be seen as yobbish ‘cause we don’t really care.

AA: Who wants middle-class metal?

GM: Exactly, and that’s just it. We’re all from complete working-class backgrounds, so we’re just who we are, and we don’t really care if anyone likes it or not. But luckily people do, so I think that must be the appeal, I think it’s ‘cause we’re just normal people. When you go to these big festivals, you see bands going backstage and they won’t go out front and don’t hang out with people, we just go straight out, we’ll go and see our mates in the camp, we don’t really care. The only thing that’s different between me and the people watching us is that I’m up there playing drums, so why the fuck shouldn’t I go and speak to people? It’s stupid, really.

AA: Your Facebook page describes the band as a ‘12 legged, beer fuelled hate machine’, which I’d take over an 8-legged groove machine any day. But what’s your beer of choice?

GM: Oh! There’s too many now. I’ve really go me and James, our guitarist, really into ales now. It’s unbelievable. I love it all, to be fair. There’s not really many beers I don’t like. I love Brewdog stuff. I live in Wales, so there’s loads of really nice ales. I like more pale ale kind of vibes. But I just love it all. We were drinking white Russians last night till five in the morning. Frank literally hasn’t stopped since we got out, so the last five days…

AA: Got to keep the momentum.

GM: Yeah, you’ve got to, ‘cause if you don’t then you crash and burn. This morning I was thinking ‘I’m going to be fucked today’, but I feel alright again now. But they’ve just been drinking. Jim, our tour manager, and Frank, came with these big stein glasses. We’d stopped at Morrisons earlier on, then they had a bottle of… something, and poured it into these steins, and then orange juice, strawberries, in the van. Fucking hell. They’ve already started smashing it. Idiots!

He laughs. I applaud the band’s commitment to living the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle on the road. It seems a good time to wrap up, not least of all because it’s sweltering and all this talk of beer is making me all the more thirsty for a pint of something fresh and hoppy.